Bird seed attracting......RATS! Eek!!

[Amy]

Hi all! I usually hang out on the Photography and Community Boards, but I need some advice. I've had bird feeders in my yard/garden for years, and I've never seen any rats gobbling up the stuff that scatters on the ground. Squirrels and chipmunks, but never rats. Until today. There are woods behind our yard, so I know there are lots of critters back there that I don't know about; but as long as they stay out of my yard, I'm ok with it.

I got a new feeder this year with larger openings, so there's quite a bit more seed ending up on the ground. I saw a small gray furry critter going after the seed, and DH told me it was prob. just a field mouse. Well, I saw about 4 of them there at the same time, got out the binoculars and yelled for DH. He confirmed that they're rats.

Any tips for how I can still feed the birds and not attract rats? Luckily, they're not in our house, but I want them to get the idea that our entire yard is off limits. Any products you've used that seem to deter them? We have a dog and there are young kids in the neighborhood, so I don't want to use anything that might harm them. I've heard about mothballs, but those are poisonous to pets.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I've never had rats. The tag I have regarding "coyote urine" relates to our attempts to get rid of the chipmunks that would feast at our feeder. That didn't work, we wound up catching the chipmunks and putting them in nearby parks. I would try coyote urine, or some such critter detterent.

I would remove the feeder for a month or two, use the critter detterent, and then go back to the original type of feeder. I sure hope you are successful!

Bobbi